Ayman al Zawahiri was believed to be hiding in a religious school run by a pro-Taliban commander in Chenagai, when it was attacked before dawn by helicopter gunships.

Among the dead was Liaquat Hussain, a Pakistani cleric who was known to be protecting Zawahiri.

But it was not known yet if Zawahiri – who is believed to have taken over many of the day-to-day al Qaeda duties of Osama bin Laden – also died in the attack that destroyed the school, according to Pakistani intelligence officials cited by ABC.

The officials believe Zawahiri had been tracked down to a 40-square-mile area near the Afghan border and couldn’t escape.

Faqir Mohammed, another Zawahiri deputy, apparently left the school 30 minutes before the strike, according to a Pakistani official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.